Chicago area chefs win big at James Beard Awards downtown
CHICAGO (WLS) -- The culinary world's greatest gathered in downtown Chicago on Monday night for the prestigious James Beard Awards at the Lyric Opera Building.
"No better place to host the James Beard Awards than Chicago," said Gov. JB Pritzker.
A spotlight shined on Chicago area chefs, who took home top honors. Tim Flores and Genie Kwon are chefs and the owners of Kasama, which is world-renowned as the first Michelin-starred Filipino restaurant.
"To be able to be recognized for cooking my mom's food; it's insane," Flores said.
They won the "Best Chef: Great Lakes" award.
"We have a lot of fun. Just getting to know everybody and meeting them has been pretty special for us," Kwon said.
Virtue's Damarr Brown, the chef-de-cuisine from the Hyde Park Southern American restaurant, took home the award for "Emerging Chef."
The James Beard Awards are considered to be one of the highest honors in the culinary industry.
Those awards don't just highlight the excellence in quality. They also honor chefs and restaurants for their contribution to their communities.
"We've seen a lot of changes within the rewards to try to recognize the people who are leading the way to create a more equitable, and more sustainable, more inclusive beverage industry," said James Beard Foundation President and COO Kris Moon.
The James Beard Foundation, based in New York, said it is proud to call Chicago its second home. Several top chefs said there's nothing like Midwest hospitality.
